Apparatus for removal of condensate water in an air conditioning system



June 4, 1957 A. CAMPAGNA ErAI. 2,794,624

APPARATUS FOR REMOVAL OF CONDENSATE WATER IN AN AIR couornonmc SYSTEM Filed April 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' INVENTORS Alvrflolvy C MPAGNA, Jan/v J. QMQAGNA A TTORNEYS Un ed es EC APPARATUS FOR REMOVAL on CONDENSATE WATER INAN AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Application April 8, 1955, Serial No. 500,139 2 Claims. (Cl. 257-8) This-invention relates to apparatus for removal of the water condensate in an air conditioning system.

The inability to adequately dispose of the atmospheric moisture condensed by the evaporator in an air conditioning system has been a perplexing problem in built-in air conditioning units.

Where the air conditioning unit is exposed to a vent in the outside of the building, the condensate overflows and leaks over the building exterior, resulting in a defacement thereof. Connecting the receptacle which is used to receive the drip condensate water from the evaporator to a gravity drain leading out, for example, to the sewer is difiieult and costly to install or is undesirable. Attempts have been made to vaporize the condensate water but this is found impracticable since discharging the vaporized drip water into the room in which the air is being cooled and consequently dried increases the humidity of the air conditioned room, and thereby results in again condensing the moisture in the air on the evaporator or cooling element. Other means have been suggested for evaporating or dispersing the water condensate to either energize or cool other parts of the installation but these involve additional equipment which either increases the cost or decreases the operating safety factor of the system.

The prime object of our present invention centers about the provision of a built-in air conditioning system or unit in which the condensate water from the evaporator is disposed of in a very simple manner and by the use of simple equipment and with the elimination of the disadvantages incident to the types of prior installations referred to above.

We achieve this prime object of the invention, by combining the air conditioning system or unit with the steam heating system of the room in which the air conditioning nut is installed, and by connecting the receptacle which is used to collect the evaporator water condensate to the steam condensate return pipe of the steam heating system. A valve is preferably placed in the line of connection, opcnable during the cooling season and closable during the heating season, so that when the air condition ing system is in use, the connection is open whereby the condensate water flows into the steam condensate return pipe and runs into the steam boiler and is there disposed of and so that when the air conditioning system is not in use, the connection is shut off whereby a vacuum is allowed to form in the steam condensate return pipe.

In the preferred form of the invention the water condensate disposal flow is also associated with the condenser of the air conditioning system so that the condensate is also utilized to aid in cooling the condenser. The water condensed by the evaporator in this preferred form of the invention is caused to drip onto the condenser coils, and the residue water not evaporated by the hot condenser coils is collected and flowed to the valve connection to the steam condensate return pipe.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, our invention relates to the condensate removal apparatus for an 2,794,624 Patented June. 4,- 1951 air conditioning system as sought to be defined the appended claims taken together with the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which: p p

7 Fig. 1 is a vertical elevational view partly in cross-section of the apparatus of the present invention depicting a preferred manner of installing the same in the wall of a building, and v Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same with cove ering and other parts removed for purpose of better illusf trating the same.

The combination apparatus of our present invention comprises the combining in the manner already alluded to of an air conditioning system or unit A which may be of well known or conventional design and construction and a heatingsystem or unit B which may also be of a well known or conventional design and construction here represented as a convection heater. Both the air conditioning unit-A and the heating unit B are preferably assembled in contiguous relation as a single installation; and to this end both may be mounted recessed in the outer wall C of a building above the flooring D thereof and below the window structure E.

The air-conditioning unit A comprises the usual air cooling structure or evaporator 10 mounted in the upper chamber of an air conditioning enclosure 12 with which is associated the fan or blower-14 and further includes the refrigerant condenser 16 mounted in the lower chamher of the enclosure with which is associated the compressor 18, these parts beingconnected by the usual equip,- ment (not shown) for completing the refrigerant circulating system.

The air cooling structure 10 comprises the 'usual plurality of coils within which a refrigerant is circulated and around which passes the air to be conditioned, the air being circulated by the fan or blower 14 in the manner indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, air ingress being indicated by the arrows 20 and air egress being indicated by the arrows 22. Associated with the condenser 16 is the fan or blower 24 for air cooling the condenser, air being circulated through a building front louvre 26, air ingress being indicated by the arrow 28 and air egress by the arrows 30.

In the well known operation of an air conditioning unit of this type a refrigerant is circulated in the air cooling structure or evaporator 10 which latter comprises a plurality of coils around which the air to be conditioned passes, the refrigerant being circulated through the evaporator by the condenser 16 and the compressor 18 functioning as the refrigerant liquifying and circulating unit. The compressor compresses the gaseous refrigerant, delivers it to the condenser where it is cooled and liquified, the liquified refrigerant then flowing under pressure to a suitable expansion valve connected to the evaporator. The upper fan unit or blower 14 circulates the air to be condensed in thermal exchange with evaporator 10 and the lower fan unit 24 circulates cooling air in thermal exchange with the condenser.

The heater B is a steam heating unit which may comprise a convection heater 32 heated by a steam pipe 34 connected at one end through a valve 36 to the steam entrant pipe 38 and connected at its other end to the return steam condensate pipe 40.

The air conditioning unit A and the steam heating unit B in a preferred arrangement of Fig. 2 of the drawings are both installed in a recess 42 formed in the building wall C. Both units may be housed or covered by an outer covering or enclosure 44.

For collecting the drip water from the evaporator 10 there is provided a collecting receptacle or drip pan 46 arranged below the evaporator 10. For disposing the collected water condensate the receptacle 46 is connected to the return steam condensate pipe 40 for discharge of the condensate water'to and through the steam condensate return pipe. Ina preferred form of the invention the Water condensate disposal flow is also associated with the condenser 16 so that the'condensate is firstutilized to aid in coolingthe condensen; "The water condensate' in this=preferred "form of the'iinventi'on' is therefore first causedto drip onto the condenser coils, and the Water residue, i. 'e. the water not evaporated by the hot-condenser coils is collected and flowedto the steam condensate'returnpipe. c p

Toaccomplish these results in this preferred form a pipe 48 is "connected'to the condensatereceptacle 46 and "extends over the condenser'16 for dripping or flowing the condensate Water over the coils of the condenser'16, and thereis provided a'second' receptacle '50 arranged below the cndenser16ifor collectingthe residue'water. -The second receptacle-50 is in turn-connected by means of the pipe'52 to the return steam condensate pipe 40, a valve 54 being arranged in'this pipe connection.

The valve 54 is'arranged so that it is openable during "the cooling season and closable during the heating season, so that when the air conditioning system A is in use, the 'connectingpipe- 52 is openwhereby the condensate Water flows into the steamcondensate return pipe and runs into thesteam boiler'to be there disposed of, and so'that when the air conditioning system is not in use and the steam heating systemis being employed the connecting pipe 52 is shutoif whereby a vacuumis allowed to form in the steam condensate return pipe; K

Themanner of installing the apparatus of the present invention, the operation thereof for the summer and winter seasons, the functioning thereof and the many advantages incident thereto will in the main befully apparent from the above detailed description thereof. It will be further apparent that many changes may be made in the elements which makeup the air conditioning systern or/and the steam' heating system and in the relative arrangements and connections between these systems 7 therefrom, and means connecting the second mentioned receptacleto said steam condensate return pipe for discharge of the condensate water to and through the steam condensate return pipe.

for the steam condensate, a receptacle arranged "below the evaporator for collecting thewa-ter condensate from the evaporator, a connection for flowing said water condensate over the condenser, a receptacle "arranged below thecondenser for collecting the residue condensate Water,

piping connecting the condensate receptacle to said'steam condensate return pipe for discharge of the condensate water to and through the steam condensate return pipe,

'and'a .valve in said piping openable during the cooling season and clo'sable during the heating season.

References Cited in the: file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,038,579 Lamb Apr. 28, 1936 Richards Q. Jan. 5, v 1943 

